1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of shock distributing or shock absorbing panels. More particularly the present invention relates to the field of shock distributing panels employed in protective garments for athletes. Even more particularly the present invention relates to the field of shock distributing panels employed in protective athletic garments for players engaged in body contact sports such as football or hockey.
2. Prior Art Statement
Shock absorbing panels and apparatus for protecting athletes from injury have long been known. The known devices include laminations of rigid material separated by resilient material such as closed cell or open cell neoprene. Apparatus of this type are included in U.S. Pat. Nos. 909,215; 2,867,813; 3,044,075; 3,135,961; 3,259,910; and 3,500,472. Other protective devices have employed springs to separate layers of semi rigid material using the springs to cushion a blow. U.S. Pat. Nos. 120,629; 573,919; 2,306,362 disclose apparatus employing springs to absorb shock in athletic protective equipment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,777,127 and 3,742,517 disclose an apparatus to conform to the portion of the body that is to be protected with a rigid outer layer spaced from a panel in contact with the wearers body. U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,385 discloses a protective pad with a rigid outer layer and a plurality of closed pneumatic tubes layered one upon another for cushioning a shock or impact to the rigid outer layer. A center panel spaced from the rigid outer panel is separated from the outer panel by a layer of interconnected closed pneumatic tubes. U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,385 does not disclose an outer flexible sheet, an inner flexible sheet spaced from the outer flexible sheet, and a center flexible sheet interposed between the inner sheet and the outer sheet with a plurality of shock distributing bellows disposed between the sheets. Nor does this patent disclose a plurality of bellows arranged in a honey comb fashion with the adjacent edges of the bellows sealed forming a chamber between bellows. Nor does this patent disclose an aperture between the bellows and the adjacent void to allow the bellows to raise pressure in the adjacent void when compressed.
The above listed U.S. patents constitute the entire prior art known to the inventor.